1Let brotherly love continue. [13:2] Do not neglect hospitality — love of strangers — for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. [13:3] Remember those in chains as though chained together with them, those who are being mistreated as though you yourselves are in the body. [13:4] Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
HEB 13:1-4
Brotherly Love
In the world it was spoken into
In the 1st-century Greco-Roman world, (brotherly love) was a term deeply rooted in familial and communal bonds, particularly within Jewish and early Christian communities. It emphasized mutual care and solidarity, essential for survival in a society where kinship networks provided security. Hospitality was a sacred duty, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, where travelers relied on the generosity of strangers for shelter and protection. Entertaining strangers could carry divine significance, as seen in Jewish traditions like Abraham’s encounter with angels (Genesis 18). The call to remember prisoners and the mistreated resonated in a context where imprisonment often meant deprivation and abuse, and solidarity with the suffering was a mark of communal identity. Marriage, described as honorable , was a cornerstone of social order, and its sanctity was upheld against the backdrop of widespread sexual immorality and adultery, which were seen as threats to household stability and societal cohesion.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
HEB 13:1
- KJV
- Let brotherly love continue.
- BSB
- Continue in brotherly love.
- Koinōnos
- Let brotherly love continue.
HEB 13:2
- KJV
- Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
- BSB
- Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
- Koinōnos
- Do not neglect hospitality — love of strangers — for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.
HEB 13:3
- KJV
- Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
- BSB
- Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.
- Koinōnos
- Remember those in chains as though chained together with them, those who are being mistreated as though you yourselves are in the body.
HEB 13:4
- KJV
- Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
- BSB
- Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
- Koinōnos
- Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, WarsWars 2.8.2
- Josephus, WarsWars 2.8.6
›Josephus, Wars Wars 2.8.2
“These last are Jews by birth, and seem to have a greater affection for one another than the other sects have.”
Cited to ground: brotherly love was a term deeply rooted in familial and communal bonds, particularly within Jewish and early Christian communities. It emphasized mutual care and solidarity
›Josephus, Wars Wars 2.8.6
“only these two things are done among them at everyone's own free-will, which are to assist those that want it, and to show mercy; for they are permitted of their own accord to afford succor to such as deserve it”
Cited to ground: Hospitality was a sacred duty, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, where travelers relied on the generosity of strangers for shelter and protection.
Translator's notes
HEB 13:1
- Brotherly love:The word translated 'brotherly love' specifically referred to the affection and loyalty shared among members of the same family or, in this context, fellow believers in the early Christian community.
HEB 13:2
- Of hospitality:The term used here for 'hospitality' literally means 'love of strangers,' highlighting a proactive welcoming and care for those outside one's immediate circle.
HEB 13:3
- being mistreated:The word translated 'being mistreated' suggests suffering harsh treatment, abuse, or affliction, often implying physical hardship or torment.
HEB 13:4
- Honorable [let]:The word translated 'honorable' conveys a sense of high value, preciousness, or being held in esteem, often implying something costly or highly regarded.